The Impact of the Attacks on America

Seventy-three percent of the public now considers the United
States at war, and nine in 10 Americans think the war will be both
long and difficult.

Most Americans believe things have forever changed in this
country, but that the United States will recover and move on.

Many Americans believe that future terrorist attacks are likely
to occur, although the percentage saying further attacks are very
likely seems to be declining from earlier polls.

Americans are strongly supportive of increased security
measures at airports and public buildings, and are willing to
tolerate considerable inconvenience in order to support the
measures.

Americans do not universally support increased restrictions on
civil liberties, such as allowing authorities to monitor mail or
telephone calls.

A substantial proportion of Americans has become less trusting
of Arabs living in this country.

Details

The American Public Clearly Believes the United States is at
War

Immediately following the attacks, 86% of Americans told Gallup
they would describe the September 11 attacks as "an act of war
against the United States." Seventy-three percent of Americans in a
September 14-15 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll say that the United
States is now at war, while 25% do not think so.

Americans expect a long and difficult war against terrorism, as
President George W. Bush said would be the case in his September 20
address to Congress and the nation. The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup
poll shows that 92% say the war against terrorism will be long and
94% say it will be difficult. These percentages are much higher in
comparison to American opinion following the attack on Pearl
Harbor, at which time just 51% thought the war against the Japanese
would be long and 65% thought it would be difficult.

Do you think the war against terrorism will
be a long war, or a short one?
Do you think the war against terrorism will be a difficult one, or
a comparatively easy one?

Sep. 21 –22, 2001 / Dec. 12-17, 1941

Most Believe That Things Will Be Forever Different in This
Country, But Think the United States Will Recover and Move
On

Will the September 11 attacks become a watershed event that will
forever change the way Americans look at and deal with the world?
Gallup finds Americans evenly divided in answer to the question,
"As a result of [the] attacks, do you think Americans will
permanently change the way they live, or not?" About half (49%)
believe that Americans will make permanent changes, while 45%
disagree. Other polls show that a majority of Americans say things
are forever changed in this country, including 66% in a September
20 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, who say that the attacks represent
a major change in terms of our sense of freedom and security.

Still, looking long-term, Americans are optimistic about the
nation's chances for recovery. The vast majority, 79%, think that
the attacks will change the country for the better by making it
stronger and more united, rather than making it worse (14%) by
reducing freedom and prosperity, according to a September 20-21
Newsweek poll. The September 13 CNN/Time poll finds that 87% of
Americans think the United States will recover and move on from
these events, while just 11% think the terrorist attacks will
permanently make things worse in the United States.

The new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds 23% extremely confident
and 42% very confident that the American way of life will be
preserved. About six in 10 are very confident that the U.S. economy
will be prosperous in the long-term, even though most polls show
that Americans are generally pessimistic about current economic
conditions. Americans are less confident that the United States
will be able to prevent future major acts of terrorism in this
country, with just 32% saying they are very confident of this.

Americans Think Future Terrorist Acts Are Likely in This
Country

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows 66% of Americans
think further terrorist attacks are at least somewhat likely over
the next several weeks, including 22% who say these are very
likely. Several polls conducted in the week following the attack
showed that about four in 10 Americans believed future attacks were
very likely, so the expectation may have lessened in the last
several days. While many Americans believe future attacks are
likely, a September 13-14 Los Angeles Times poll shows that
Americans do not expect them to be common -- only 8% think
terrorist attacks in the United States will be very common, while
most (53%) think they will not be very common.

Americans Are Willing to Surrender Some of Their Civil
Liberties in Order to Help Prevent Terrorism

Perhaps as a result of Americans' expectation that future
attacks are likely, a majority in several polls say they are
willing to tolerate some inconvenience or even surrender some of
their civil liberties. In a September 14-15 poll, CNN/USA
Today/Gallup finds 86% of the public in support of new security
procedures at airports that would require passengers to check in
two to three hours prior to their flights. Eighty-six percent also
support the use of metal detectors in office buildings and public
places, and 77% favor requiring all people visiting such places to
show identification before they enter. A slight majority even
favors banning all carry-on luggage on airplanes, including purses,
computers and briefcases, but 47% oppose this.

However, Americans are not willing to accept all limits on their
personal liberties to help prevent terrorism. Only 33% favor making
it easier for legal authorities to read mail or e-mail, or tap
phones without a person's knowledge, and just 29% support allowing
police to stop people at random on the street to search their
possessions. Additionally, the September 14-17 Pew Research Center
poll shows just 40% favor, and 55% oppose, allowing the government
to monitor people's credit card purchases.

Please tell me if you would favor or oppose each of the
following as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United
States.

2001 Sep 14-15
(sorted by "support")

Support

Oppose

%

%

Requiring every person going into an office building or public
place to go through a metal detector

86

13

Instituting new security procedures that would require
passengers to check in two to three hours before their flight is
scheduled to depart

86

14

Requiring every person going into an office building or public
place to show ID

77

22

Requiring Arabs, including those who are U.S. citizens, to
undergo special, more intensive security checks before boarding
airplanes in the United States

58

41

Banning airline passengers from carrying on-board any luggage
including purses, computers, and briefcases

51

47

Requiring Arabs, including those who are U.S. citizens, to carry
a special ID

49

49

Making it easier for legal authorities to read mail, e-mail, or
tap phones without the person's knowledge

33

65

Allowing police to stop people on the street at random to search
their possessions

29

69

The Attacks Are Likely to Have an Effect on People of Arab
Descent Living in This Country

In the September 14-15 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, 35% say they
now have less trust in Arabs living in this country. Forty-three
percent of Americans, in a September 13 ABC News/Washington Post
poll, said they think the attacks will make them more suspicious of
people whom they think are of Arab descent. According to CNN/Time,
the majority of Americans say they feel no differently toward
Arab-Americans as a result of the attacks, but 27% admit to feeling
less favorably. About one in three say they have heard friends,
neighbors, or coworkers make negative comments about Arabs living
in this country since the attacks, according to CNN/USA
Today/Gallup. The September 13-14 CBS News/New York Times poll
reveals that nearly half of Americans, 46%, believe that it is very
likely Arab-Americans, Muslims, and Middle Eastern immigrants will
be singled out unfairly in this country.

Nearly six in 10 Americans favor requiring people of Arab
descent to undergo special, more intensive security checks when
flying on American planes. The public is evenly divided about
whether Arabs living in this country -- including those who are
U.S. citizens -- should be required to carry special identification
with them. Nearly seven in 10 favor allowing police to "stop and
search anyone who fits the general description of suspected
terrorists," according to a September 19-20 Fox/Opinion Dynamics
poll

Despite this, only about one in three Americans favors more
severe measures such as putting Arabs living in this country under
special surveillance, or allowing the U.S. government to take legal
immigrants from unfriendly countries to internment camps.

About half of Americans (51%) say they feel less favorably
toward Afghanistan, 41% feel less favorably toward the
Palestinians, and 31% feel less favorably toward Muslims living
abroad. While it's possible that sympathy for Israel could increase
as a result of this tragedy, for now only 10% say they feel more
favorably about Israel as a result of the attacks and 21% feel less
favorably.

Slightly more Americans agree (52%) than disagree (45%) that the federal government is responsible for making sure all Americans have healthcare coverage. This balance of views is similar to last year.

Americans' daily self-reports of spending averaged $98 in November, up from $93 in October. The latest figure is the highest average recorded for the month of November since Gallup began tracking consumer spending in 2008.